The Scenario Shakeup
by TigreMalabarista
Summary: Everyone's lives hang in the balance after an earthquake rocks Whitney High and Los Angeles. Rated T for violence, language.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone's lives hang in the balance after an earthquake rocks Whitney High and Los Angeles. Rated T for violence, language. Thanks to HD, Jo, Lauren, Claye and Ms B for beta'ing.

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It was a busy day at Whitney High, so busy that Ralph was between classes trying to take a break. He started off the day early with a long teacher's meeting, then classes.

To top off the craziness, he also had to stop a fight in the hallway. He did, but only after he received a punch to the jaw, briefly knocking him out. The school had a couple of paramedics check him out, but after explaining to them he had a glass jaw and was feeling fine otherwise, Ralph was allowed to finish the rest of the day. After the fight, he decided to put on the suit, just in case he had to referee another one...

"Mr. H, are you feeling all right," said a female voice. "Maybe you shoulda listened to the medics and gone home."

Ralph snapped out of his daydream and saw Rhonda. He shook his head and chuckled. "Yes, Rhonda I'm fine. It's been a long day, and that punch didn't help out any."

"Sure Mr. H, just take it easy is all. Last thing ya need to happen is to work too hard and pass out on us... again."

Ralph chuckled at the comment. "I'm sure I'm fine. Save the fight, this is fairly normal day for me. Listen, you need to get to class before you're tardy. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

As Rhonda headed toward the classroom, Bill entered the hallway, causing Ralph to groan. "Bill, I don't have any time for one of your suit scenarios," he said. "Class is about to start in five minutes..."

Bill just shook his head. "Don't worry Ralph, I'm here only because the Counselor needed a lift. She's speaking to some class about law..."

"Oh yeah, the debate class, I forgot," said Ralph, the event dawning on him. He ran a hand through his hair. "The student escort hasn't come yet, or I'd know, and her car's in the shop. I said I'd pick her up from..."

"Don't worry, the Counselor remembered your meeting this morning and told me to come and pick her up," said Bill, chuckling. "Was going to stop by anyway. Looks like you've had a busy day."

Ralph nodded "Yeah, it has been, today's been crazy between the meeting and a visit from the paramedics..."

"Oh no, who got hurt," said Pam as she came up.

Ralph blushed slightly as he kissed her. "Me. Got caught in the crossfire of a hallway fight, but they cleared me for work. Sorry about forgetting to pick you up."

"Don't worry hun, I had a backup plan. After all, you might've ended up on a suit scenario, courtesy of our favorite uncle..."

"Geesh wouldja quit it with that joke, it's getting old," said Bill, and the other two chuckled.

"Well, you did start it Bill," said Ralph as he heard a bell ring. "Listen, I'd better get to my class and Pam needs to get to the debate room. How about we meet together after class for lunch."

"Sounds good hun," said Pam and gave him a kiss.

"Yeah, for me too kid, but I ain't gonna kiss ya," said Bill, rolling his eyes.

Ralph only laughed and the three headed to their classes.

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As Ralph neared the classroom, he heard the familiar sound of arguing and frowned. "Oh no, not again," he said groaning and pulling an item out of his briefcase. He was glad he got permission to carry the item... just in case.

Sure enough, entering the room, Tony and Cyler were shouting at each other and nearly coming to blows. "Hey guys cut it out..." Ralph started.

The other two were not listening, nor was the rest of the class. "Come on Tony, you know it was your fault Mr. H was knocked out," said Cyler.

"No, it's your fault. I didn't throw the punch," said Tony.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Mr. H's fine," said Rhonda, but to no avail.

Tony drew back a punch just before a loud shriek resonated through the room, freezing everyone in their tracks.

The class turned and saw Ralph holding a miniature air horn. "Good. Now that I've got your attention, will you please stop fighting and sit down? The last thing I need is the paramedics making another visit, only this time to another person."

Tony sat down and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Mr. H. Cyler and me was trying to figure out who hit..."

"Tony, it's in the past, so it doesn't matter. All I'll say is that I'm the one who ended up out cold in the end," said Ralph as he got out a book. "OK, I want all of you to get out your history books and turn to page 124..."


	2. Chapter 2

Pam took a left down the hallway and frowned when she saw it was just a closet for the custodians, a set of vending machines, the administration office and a fire exit. "Great, I thought I had it right," she said, grumbling.

"Counselor, you shoulda asked Ralph to give ya better directions or seen if there was a map of the classrooms," said Bill.

"Bill, what are you still doing here?"

"Well, it's easy to get lost here. You need a map to find the bathroom," said the agent and shook his head. "Then again, even if they had a map, there'd be no numbers, only the little arrow saying 'you are here.'"

"Funny, Bill. Come on, let's go back over to Ralph's classroom and see if he can help me out," said Pam as they turned back around and headed out of the hallway.

"Good idea. He probably is the only one here who could tell ya where the cafeteria ladies keep the plastic dinnerware," said Bill, only to see Pam glare at him. "C'mon Counselor, that's a compliment. 'Course, with that class he has, probably a good thing to know in case he has to hide somewhere."

Pam shook her head. "True, especially since they're the reason he's been tired ..." she stopped when she felt a little dizzy and staggered.

Bill, frowning, steadied her. "Counselor, you all right? You look a little pale."

"Fine, Bill. But it was funny," she said, slightly confused. "Feel like I have butterflies in my stomach..."

"Don't blame ya, given you're going to talk to a buncha debaters..."

Pam rolled her eyes. "We'd better head over to his classroom before he gets into his lesson. If he does... it's too hard for anyone outside the class to talk to him until the bell rings."

Bill chuckled and the two headed back toward Ralph's class.

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Ralph was discussing the Spanish American War when he felt dizzy and sat down hard on his desk.

The class jumped up when they also saw him pale and lean over slightly, rubbing his eyes. "You all right Mr. H?" asked Cyler, concerned.

The blonde-haired man nodded. "Yeah, fine Cyler, just a slight dizzy spell. It's been a long day on top of the fight, but if I feel worse, I'll let you guys know. Now, everyone, please sit back down..." he paused when he saw the picture frame on the wall move back and forth slightly.

The class saw it too and froze. Rhonda swayed slightly, and Tony steadied her. "You all right Rhonda?" asked Ralph.

"Mr. H, I'm feeling a little dizzy myself," said Rhonda. "That and like there are butterflies in my stomach..."

"Me too," said another student.

Listening, they heard the birds abruptly stop chirping. It was as thought the world outside was silent. "What the..." said Tony, just as the ground started to shake.

"Earthquake, everyone under your desks," shouted Ralph as the shaking intensified. Everyone scattered, and Ralph himself ducked into the door jamb, just before the light fixture crashed on his desk. He turned at the sound, only to receive a blow to his head from the debris falling around him. Vision dimming slightly and feeling dizzy, Ralph slid down the edge of the jamb, sitting down and vaguely hearing the class yelling over the sound of the quake...

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Pam and Bill stopped when they felt the ground shake. "Hold on Counselor," said Bill as he dragged the two of them under a door jamb, just as the lockers started to move around and fall. Bill shielded Pam from any debris that was falling.

After a couple of moments, the ground rolled, knocking the two of them out from under the door jamb into the nearby classroom. Bill was thrown into an open area, rolling into a duck and cover position under a classroom desk...

Pam, however, was not so lucky as she fell into the teacher's desk. She felt a sharp pain in her ribs and head when they made contact with the edge of the desk as she fell to the floor. Groaning, she managed to crawl under the desk, rolling up into a ball for protection before mercifully passing out from the pain...


	3. Chapter 3

Although it seemed like an eternity, only a minute passed before the rumbling ceased and everything was quiet. Ralph shook his head to clear it and stood up, fighting a bout of dizziness. He touched his head and winced at the bruise beginning to form around the cut. Coughing, he turned to his classroom, and saw it was in shambles. There were fallen trees outside, almost completely blocking out the light, but there was enough to light the room.

He cleared his throat again. "OK, roll call, is anyone hurt?" he hollered. Cyler, Paco, Rhonda and the others gave various yells saying they were a bit shaken, but unhurt.

"Where's Tony?" said Ralph, frowning. "Tony?..." he stopped when he took a closer look at the bookshelf. It had fallen over, but not before hitting a desk, Tony's desk. Ralph frowned when he saw the teen's boots peeking out from underneath the shelves.

"Damn," said Ralph as he headed toward the bookshelf. "Cyler, Paco help me lift up the case."

The other two teens helped Ralph pick up the heavy bookshelf, and after removing the fallen books as well, found Tony lying underneath. The teen was unconscious, and one of his legs was clearly broken.

Ralph gently checked Tony's vitals and injuries. Paco became worried when he saw Ralph frown. "What's wrong Mr. H?" he said. "Tony don't look too good."

"He isn't Paco. Fortunately, the desk stopped the bookself from falling all the way, or it'd be worse," said Ralph frowning. "Listen, I need you to go over to the rest of the class and keep them calm, especially Rhonda. Just tell them I'll come over in a couple of minutes."

"Right Mr. H," said Paco as he headed back toward the others.

Cyler turned back to Ralph and frowned. "OK, what's wrong with him? I mean, it's got to be bad if you're telling Paco to keep an eye on Rhonda."

"Tony's right leg is broken from where the bookcase hit it. I don't know if he's got any other injuries though," said Ralph. "I think he also has severe concussion from when his head hit the ground. I've tried what I know to get a response from him, but he's not even flinching."

"That's bad, right?"

"From what I learned in first aid, very bad, that's why I need your help."

Cyler nodded grimly. "OK, what do you need me to do?"

"First thing we've got to do is splint his leg and try to keep him from going into shock," said Ralph quietly as took off his tie to start a splint. "Listen, I have some school supply magazines under my desk. My coat's also there. Grab those and bring them over here."

As Cyler went and grabbed the items, Ralph began to feel a little warm and tingly. Instead of feeling like he was going to pass out, he blinked a couple of times, feeling like he had the best night's sleep he had in months. 'What the...' he started thinking before someone shook his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Mr. H, you all right?" said Cyler. "You zoned out on me for a moment."

"Yeah, in fact, I feel terrific," dismissed Ralph as he grabbed the coat and covered Tony with it. Ralph then splinted Tony's leg as best he could and carefully elevated Tony's good foot to keep him from going into shock.

After checking the teen's vitals again, finding they improved slightly, Ralph cleared his throat and stood up, surprised to feel not the slightest bit dizzy. He walked over to the class, realizing he'd have to tell them something.

"Mr. H, is Tony..." started Rhonda.

"Tony's alive," said Ralph.

Rhonda sighed in relief. "Will he be all right?" she said.

"I think so Rhonda, but I'm sure the fire department and paramedics will be here shortly to help out. The one thing we need to do is see if we can get the rest of you out. Now the trees are blocking the windows right now, and I don't..."

"Mr. H, I took a quick look in the hallway, and it's blocked off," said Chaffee simply. "And, I don't know if we can dig our way out."

Ralph walked out into the hallway and sure enough, there was debris blocking the way. Testing a couple of spots, he had to back away when he heard the ceiling groan.

"Damn," said Ralph as he headed back into the room. He realized that the hallway ceiling was unstable, and if it went, the rest of the ceiling could collapse and bury them in rubble. And with the two side walls being classrooms and the outside blocked, they were trapped.

While he knew the suit would protect him, he realized that if he made a mistake, he'd kill the class. Ralph decided that the best thing to do at the moment was wait and work out a different way out... using the suit as little as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

"Counselor... Pam come on wake up honey..." said a voice seemingly from a distance, annoying Pam slightly.

Pam groaned as she opened her eyes. Blinking a couple of times to bring her vision into focus, she saw Bill looking back at her.

"Bill," she said trying to sit up. She felt the world spin around and grow black...

Bill lowered Pam back down to the floor and covered her with the coat again. He elevated her feet, placing them on a stack of books he wrangled together and shook his head. "Counselor, don't do that again," he ordered gently. "Don't need ya to faint on me. Can only do so many hero acts in one day."

Pam frowned at his comment. "Funny. What about the earthquake..."

"Lasted about a minute, but we got thrown into the classroom," said Bill as he gently checked her ribs. "I found ya huddled under the teacher's desk, out like a light. Moved ya out here to lie you flat on the ground. Started checkin' you for injuries when you came around."

Pam groaned loudly in pain when he checked her ribs. "How long was I out?"

Bill checked his watch. "About three-four minutes most. Looks like you have a coupla fractured ribs. Now, can you tell me how you feel?"

"Like I was run over by a teacher's desk," she said wryly.

"Ya know what I mean, Davidson. Your complexion looks a little pale, but all right otherwise. Now, I've seen ya move your arms and legs so far, but are you feeling cold or numb?"

"No," she said. "But, I do feel real tired..."

Bill frowned, realizing she might have a concussion as well. "I know you're not going to like this, but you gotta stay awake. Ya can't go to sleep, not even for a moment."

Pam grimaced, realizing that Bill didn't order her in that tone unless it was important... and serious. "Let me guess, a possible concussion?" When he nodded, she groaned. "OK, should be easy with you here to argue with me. Have you heard from Ralph? I mean he's got the suit on..."

"Not yet. Haven't tried to use the communicator, and if Ralph's..." he paused, not wanting to think about the possibility, suit or no, of him being dead, "... been hit over the head and is out cold, he won't be able to respond."

Pam, realizing that possibilty too, frowned. "Bill, you got to try. And, if he asks about me, just say I'm hurt, but all right. He's got students to take care of as well, and I don't want him taking risks in the suit that could hurt all of us."

Bill nodded and thumbed the communicator. "Ralph... kid, can ya hear me?" he said.

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Ralph was in the classroom, checking Tony's pulse when he heard Bill's voice coming out of his coat pocket. Retrieving the item, Ralph pressed the button on it. "Yeah, Bill, I hear you," said Ralph.

Cyler blinked at the item. "What is that Mr. H?" he said.

Ralph coughed, realizing that none of his students knew about it. "Cyler, don't tell anyone else this, but it's a walkie-talkie that Bill gave me in case of an emergency..."

"Like this?"

"Yeah, like this and only for these things," said Ralph. It wasn't quite the truth, but close enough. "Bill, what's up?"

"Listen, are you anywhere near the kids? This is kinda personal."

Ralph grimaced. "Sorry, you're going to have to tell me anyway."

Bill frowned. "Why?"

"Cyler's helping me take care of Tony. He was knocked unconscious and injured when a bookshelf fell on him," said Ralph bluntly.

There was pause before Bill continued. "Geesh, sorry kid ..."

Despite the well-known animosity, Ralph could tell Bill was truly worried about Tony. "Don't worry about it, you didn't know. Now, what do you need?"

"Have you been able to see any way to get out or anything dangerous outside? Any pictures?" said Bill, hoping Ralph understood he meant holograph.

"No, but I haven't been in contact with anything to see anything. I'll try as soon as I can and let you know" said Ralph quietly. He paused, dreading this next question. "Bill, are you and Pam all right?"

Bill froze, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. "Ralph, I'm fine, but the Counselor is hurt," he said softly. Hearing Ralph's breath catch, Bill continued. "Now, I'm sitting right by her and keeping an eye on her. It looks like she has a mild concussion and a couple of fractured ribs. I've already told her she's going to stay awake."

"Yeah, he ordered me," said Pam's voice faintly in the background.

Ralph chuckled in relief when he heard her voice. "Bill, you know better than that. She'll start debating you on the pros and cons of that issue."

"Listen kid, right now, I don't care if she calls me every name in the book if it keeps her awake until the paramedics arrive," said Bill chuckling softly. Ralph could tell Bill was worried as well.

"Yeah. Listen, I'll keep you apprised on what I know and if I can get over to you, I'll let you know," said Ralph.

"Gotcha kid, just be careful."

"You too, Bill," said Ralph as he pocketed the device.

Cyler noticed Ralph's frown. "Come on Mr. H, if Mr. Maxwell's there, you know that she'll be all right," he said.

Ralph nodded. "I know Cyler, but she's hurt too, and it makes me wonder how many more students are. Right now, we need to find a way to get you guys out of here and hope the paramedics arrive soon," he said as he checked Tony for any signs of the teen regaining consciousness. He frowned when Tony didn't stir.

"Still out huh?" asked Cyler, frowning.

"Yeah, and it's starting to worry me..." he said, frowning more. "If he stays this way too long, he might have some long term problems, or..."

Cyler cleared his throat, not wanting to think of that possibility. "You know, Mr. H, Tony and I we fight, but we do get along. And, this stays between us, I'm scared too and I don't want him to die."

"I know Cyler, none of us want that. I'm worried too, but were going to get out of here soon," said Ralph, remembering a time a few years before he had the suit when he was charged at at basketball game. His head struck the floor sharply, so much so it bounced off the asphalt. He had been out for two hours, and the doctors were concerned that he'd suffer from epileptic seizures as a result.

While he beat the odds and suffered no lingering effects, with all the other things Tony might be dealing with... Ralph was more than worried, but was going to keep that from Cyler. He realized that they might need more than just the fire department. 'At the rate this is going, the suit's going to have to help out, even if it means you find out about it,' Ralph thought.


	5. Chapter 5

About an hour later, after talking about everything under the sun, Pam's eyes started to droop. She felt a hand shake her shoulder strongly. "Pam, ya gotta stay awake," insisted Bill.

"Shut up Ralph, your Bill impression isn't very good," said Pam groggily. "You just called me Pam, silly."

"_Counselor, _I'm not the kid. Now will ya please stay awake."

Pam's eyes snapped open, remembering where she was. "Sorry Bill. It's getting tougher to stay awake. Where's the fire department?"

"I don't know sweetheart, but I imagine they have their hands full," said Bill. "Still, why they haven't arrived here, I don't know."

"I bet they're nearing the place though Bill. I mean it's a school ..."

"Yeah, and we're probably the next group," said the agent as he walked over to the windows. He could see fallen lockers, phone booths, a few trees and a couple of streetlights that had fallen in the courtyard and hoped the rest of the school wasn't in the same shape. The ground was also uneven and a couple of large fissures dotted the area, making traveling a little unsafe, but not inaccessible if worst came to worse and he had to move Pam to a safer area.

"How bad is it," asked Pam softly.

"Well, from what I can tell, there's not a ton of debris and damage, so it wasn't huge. Still, that's only this side..."

"And Ralph's classroom is on the other, I know. Have you heard anything else about him or Tony?"

"Only that Villacana's still out cold. Ralph said that kid won't respond to anything..."

Pam frowned. "I hope the paramedics get here soon. He needs to get to a hospital ASAP or he could..."

"I know sweetheart, and you do too," said the agent softly.

"Yeah, I can tell it too, Bill. Just keep arguing with me and I should be awake enough to argue with the medics when they arrive."

Bill chuckled. "OK, just don't call them geezer or Uncle Bill. Don't want them to think you're totally out of it."

"Nah, those are your honors," said Pam eyes fluttering slightly from a bout of dizziness. "Then again, what if they don't arrive soon, and we need help... I mean, Ralph can't just change into the suit and ..."

"I know Ralph's trying to hide the magic longjohns from the class, but if they don't get out here soon to help you and Villacana, he might have to reveal his secret," said Bill softly, trying to hide his worry for Pam, Ralph, Tony and anyone else who might've been injured in the quake.


	6. Chapter 6

In the special education room, Ralph sat next to Tony and rested his head against the wall. He had tried to rest, but found that he couldn't settle his mind. Over the past hour, he had thought of every possible thing he did before the earthquake, but they still didn't add up to why his head didn't hurt... especially since the suit didn't protect his head. Ralph even considered the suit was the cause, but dismissed the idea as he knew he'd had lost consciousness from an injury even with it on before, and that didn't happen.

Cyler was talking with a couple of other students and assuring them that Tony would be all right. Ralph smiled softly, realizing that Cyler would probably be the top of his class when he got his degree. Ralph also knew that in cases like this, Cyler seemed to be the most level headed of the group, using his smooth words to put them at ease.

Ralph felt a hand on his shoulder, and turning, saw it was Rhonda. "Mr. H, how's Tony?" asked Rhonda.

The blond-haired man moved closer to Tony and checked his vitals and eyes. He frowned when he still saw the whites. "He's still out Rhonda, but his breathing and pulse are normal." said Ralph.

"Do you think he'll wake up soon," said Rhonda. "I mean... it's been an hour..."

"I know, but he did hit his head hard, not to mention his leg is broken," said Ralph. "But, I'm doing everything I can to make him comfortable."

Rhonda paused for a moment, making Ralph frown. "Are you sure you're all right Rhonda? You look pale as a sheet. Come on, sit down."

The young woman sat down, if nothing else, just to humor her teacher. "I'm fine, Mr. H. It's hard just seeing Tony like this. I mean, I've seen him get knocked out before in fights and such, but he never looked anything like this. He looks totally helpless."

Ralph nodded slightly. "I know Rhonda, but that's why I'm staying here with him and Cyler's helping out," he said. When Rhonda stared at him, Ralph frowned. "What is it?"

"It's you Mr. H. I've been watching you since the earthquake, and I've been wondering if you're all right? It's just that I think you should rest, especially with that hit to your head."

"I'm fine, just more worried about Tony." said Ralph, starting to relive the day of the basketball accident.

Noting the look in Ralph's eyes, Rhonda wasn't totally convinced. "It seems as though you're distracted. You want to talk about it?"

Ralph nodded slightly, not wanting to reveal this. "Yes, I have been, but I'd rather not tell anyone. It's still a bit painful for me and I'd rather not..."

A pained groan eminated the room, effectively ending the talk. Turning, Ralph saw Tony slowly open his eyes. Trying to get up, he yelled out in pain, causing Ralph to ease the teen back down to the ground. "Tony... don't move around," said Ralph, covering the teen again with his coat.

"Mr. H, what's goin' on?" said Tony, confused. "I mean, I remember the classroom starting to move around and... I keep thinking I got run over by a train full of coal..."

Ralph chuckled. "Not quite," he said softly. "Books. After the quake, we found you lying under the bookcase. You've been out for about an hour."

"An hour? Figures, since it feels as though my ribs and legs are on fire too," he said, groaning.

Rhonda frowned when she heard Tony's complaints. "Mr. H, why didn't you tell me that he was hurt worse than his leg?" she said, slightly angry.

"I didn't know about the ribs, Rhonda. If I did, I would've told you."

The young woman calmed down, realizing he was right. "Sorry, Mr. H, it's just I mean he looked..."

"I understand but he's awake now," said Ralph gently, not wanting her to tell Tony how bad he looked.

Rhonda nodded reluctantly, and Ralph smiled as he turned to Tony. "OK, Tony, I've got to give you a health quiz..."

"In the middle of the classroom after waking up from an earthquake? You're really pushin' it pal."

"Huh?... Oh, sorry. I meant I need to ask you some questions to see how bad you are inside. Now, can you move your arms and your good leg?"

Tony complied, and half heartedly flipped Ralph the bird raising one of his arms. While Ralph normally would've told the teen off, he figured it was a sign that he was at least doing better. "All right, so far so good..." said Ralph, chuckling. "But you'd better not do that again when you're better, OK? Now, do you feel cold or numb anywhere, and is your stomach sore?"

"Not really," said Tony, "Stomach's not sore, but I have to admit it does feel a little cooler in here than normal. And I'm still tired..."

Ralph shook his head, realizing Tony's injuries were pretty bad. "Well, you're going to probably want to punch me when this is all over, but you're going to have to stay awake."

"Come on Mr. H, quit buggin'..."

"_No. _Sorry Tony, but this is one time you're going to listen to your teacher, and if I have to I'll make you fight me..." said Ralph fiercely.

"You fight me? Get outta here, you gotta glass jaw and I can't even walk..."

"I know that, I meant arguing. You can't go back to sleep because you might not wake up again, as you might have a pretty serious concussion. Couldn't even get you to wince trying earlier while you were still out."

Tony frowned, detecting the fear in Ralph's voice. He had a feeling, but kept it to himself as he didn't want to scare Rhonda. "That bad, huh? So, when's the paramedics gonna arrive?"

"I don't know Tony, but I hope soon, or we're going to have to find a way to get all of you out." said Ralph. He then turned to Rhonda. "Rhonda, go back over to the rest of the class and see if you can wrangle a couple of more coats. That way, we can keep Tony from falling asleep going into shock."

Rhonda nodded and went back to the class. Ralph felt Tony tap him on the arm. "Mr. H, I know what you're thinking, I am too."

Ralph shook his head, trying to put the teen at ease. "Tony, you'll be all right..."

"Look, Mr. H, I see the look of fear in your eyes. You don't have to say, but I hope you're right about the paramedics, for all our sakes."

"So do I..."

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Principal Knight was standing outside the building of his school, trying to get a count of all the students who had exited the building. He had counted almost all of the classes, but found that no one from Ralph's class was outside.

Frowning, he made a note in his book. "OK, I know Mr. Hinkley didn't take the kids out on a field trip" he said outloud. "So, they're still trapped in their classroom."

Looking at the area where Ralph's classroom was, Knight frowned when he saw that part of the roofing was barely standing up. He also saw the trees that had fallen in front of the classrooms as well. While he and Ralph didn't always see eye-to-eye, he did respect Ralph for his teaching, as he did help improve the graduation rate of the drop-out students in his special ed class. And, knew that every second that passed away was a second that could mean the death of a student or teacher.

Knight frowned, realizing the situation was growing dimmer by the minute. "Where are those damn firefighters and paramedics?" he said.


	7. Chapter 7

_Pam closed her eyes briefly as she found herself walking down a long corridor. Frowning, she turned around, only to see a spiked wall closing in on her. She started running just before the floor dropped out from below her._

_When she landed, she found herself in a small room with no exit. Standing, she groaned in pain when her ribs started hurting. "Ralph, where are you," she shouted. "I need help..."_

_Pam's eyes widened in horror when she found the room start to fill with sand. It quickly filled up the room, growing higher and higher until it was over her head._

_She felt herself start to suffocate where there was a hand pulling her out of the sand. Once she was out, she turned to thank the person only to recoil in horror. It was a monster, and he grinned wickedly as he drew near to Pam. Knowing that she was injured , Pam did the first thing she knew and swung out..._

"... Take that you creep..." yelled Pam in pain when she felt her blow connect with something soft.

"OW! Damn it," shouted a familiar voice, which then softed its tone realizing where the punch came from. "Davidson, honey can you hear me?"

Opening her eyes again, Pam frowned when she saw Bill was covering his eye with his hand. "Bill... I'm so sorry. I thought you were..."

"It's all right," said Bill, relieved to hear Pam talking. "I'm just glad to see you're awake again. You went out on me for a minute, and I was having trouble trying to wake you."

"Still, it doesn't mean..."

"I said that I didn't care if you called me every name in the book right now if it kept ya awake and I meant it, but I didn't want a Purple Heart." said Bill firmly as they heard sirens in the distance.

Pam smiled when they were getting louder and stopped at the school. "They're here!" said Pam with a soft cheer.

"Yeah, I hear them too," said Bill. "It means you and Villacana will get to a hospital soon."

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In Ralph's classroom, things weren't going quite as well. After they had cleared the broken glass from the windows, Cyler, Chaffee, Paco and the others were trying to move the tree from the windows as a way to get out of the classroom, and cheered when they heard the firetrucks in the distance.

Over where Ralph and Tony were, however, it wasn't going as well. "So, you're thinking about trading in the Villacana Pirhana for a motorcycle?" chuckled Ralph. "Come on, what type would you get, a Harley Davidson?"

"Yeah, you know, I've been liking those Harley Davidsons I've seen on the roads." said Tony, "I know of a guy who rebuilds them from a skeleton and..."

Frowning when the teen stopped talking about motorcycles, Ralph turned to look at Tony, who looked dizzy. "Tony are you all right?" said Ralph worriedly.

"Think so Mr. H, the room just spun..." said Tony, only stop and blink a couple of times as he felt darkness closing in.

Ralph frowned when he saw the teen's eyes roll back in his head. "Tony, come on stay with me man..." started Ralph, only to hear the teen let out a breath before shuddering and lying still. Ralph put a hand on Tony's neck, and found a heartbeat. When he put his ear next to the teen's mouth, however, he didn't hear a breath. "Damn," said Ralph as he began artificial respiration.

Hearing Ralph cuss, Cyler saw Ralph give Tony mouth-to-mouth. He kept the other students from rushing over, but stood ready to give help if necessary. After a few breaths, Ralph was relived to hear Tony cough and start breathing. The class sighed in relief, knowing Tony was back with them.

Ralph smiled and started to sit back up fully only to feel a hand grab him by the jaw in a weak grip. "All right, who's the creep who just kissed me," said the teen groggily.

"Come on Tony, Mr. H just saved your life," said Cyler bluntly as he walked over to the two, though he too was relieved to hear Tony awake and fighting again.

Tony opened his eyes and saw Ralph and Cyler looking back at him. He shook his head and loosened his grip on Ralph's jaw slightly. "By kissin' me?"

Ralph freed his face from Tony's grip. "No Tony, you passed out and stopped breathing," he said. "I had to give you artificial respiration."

Tony pondered the thought and smiled weakly. "OK, this time it's fine ... but you'd better never kiss me again like Sleeping Beauty unless you need to do that again."

Ralph chuckled softly. "And I hope to never have to fulfill the second part of that comment again. How are you feeling now?"

"The same, sore, tired and now embarrassed." Turning to Cyler, Tony frowned. "And I better _never_ hear you say anything about this to anyone."

Cyler smiled. "Don't worry, your ego will stay intact. Mr. H, why don't you take a break and I'll stay with Tony for a while."

"You sure Cyler? I don't need you two to start fighting..."

"Mr. H, you kiddin'," promised Tony. "Right now, he could knock me into next week, and I want it to be a fair fight."

"He means we won't," said Cyler, and Tony rolled his eyes. Ralph shook his head, realizing the two teens were trying to bring levity to a grim situation.

Cyler chuckled at his teacher's reaction. "Come on Villacana, tell me more about those motorcycles you're considering now..." he said.

As Tony started chatting with Cyler, Ralph frowned, realizing that things were getting worse, but did see a way to help. Looking at the window, Ralph noticed that the kids had nearly pushed the tree over.

Ralph pondered the situation, and realized that the suit could help now and not reveal itself. He stood up. "All right guys. It looks like you've almost got the tree to where you can get out."

"Yeah, but we need Cyler's help," said Paco. When Ralph frowned, Paco continued. "Well, you're hurt too, Mr. H."

"I'm fine, and Cyler traded out with me to keep Tony awake, so I'll help. Now, give me a space and we'll push it together."

The class nodded and they took their places. Ralph pushed with about half the force as the others with all their strength, and within seconds, the tree rolled foward, landing to the side of the other tree.

Ralph smiled. "Terrific," he said, covering the windowsill with one of the student's coats. "All right, now what I want you guys to do is climb out one at a time until you're all out and head to the front of the school. I'm sure Principal Knight is relaying information to the firetrucks as they arrive. Rhonda, I want you to tell them that we have an injured person in here that we can't move and need the paramedics ASAP."

Rhonda nodded, and the class started climbing out the window. Ralph walked back over to where Tony and Cyler were and sat back down.

"Listen, the paramedics and firefighters should be here shortly and we'll get out next," said Ralph simply.

Tony coughed again, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Mr. H, why don't you and Cyler here carry me out to them?"

"Too risky. You said your ribs hurt, and if we move you and your ribs are cracked they could break completely."

"Can't be that bad if they do," said Tony.

"No... that'd be _worse_, especially since you have a broken leg too," said Ralph as he pulled the communicator from his pocket. "It's better you get carried out on a stretcher. Bill can you read me?"

"Yeah, I hear ya kid," said Bill's voice over the communicator. "What's going on..."

"Did you hear the fire..."

Tony groaned. "Maxwell's been out there all the time?"

Cyler shook his head. "Not quite Tony. He and Miss Davidson were in the school when the earthquake hit too and they're lost in it somewhere. Mr. H and Mr. Maxwell have been talking on that walkie-talkie for some time to get updates about the situation."

"Man, that's rough. Mr. H are they..."

"Hold on Bill... They're all right Tony," said Ralph briefly, deciding not to say that Pam was hurt. He turned back to the communicator "Now..."

Cyler decided to continue for Ralph. "Yeah, Miss Davidson has been talking with him too. Besides Tony, you were out like a light for sometime and Mr. H's the only one in this room that knows first aid. If he left, you would've died earlier."

Tony frowned. "Didn't think of that. Hope those medics get here shortly so Mr. H can go find Miss Davidson and Maxwell."

Oblivious to the teens' conversation, Ralph continued talking with Bill. "So, how's Pam doing?"

"Fine kid, but she has one hell of a right hook though. "

"She _hit_ you?"

"Yeah, but it was from a nightmare she had. She dozed off and I had to wake her. Then she slugged me after she called me a creep..."

"Well, he was hun," said Pam's voice clearly, apparently taking away the communicator from Bill.

"OK, but we're going to have to owe him dinner for it," said Ralph, chuckling when he heard Bill mention something about sirloin and poultice in the same sentence. "And while I'm guessing she gave you a black eye, you're not having steak tartare, Bill. Listen, the rest of the class is out save Tony and Cyler and once they're out, I'll help get you two out."

Bill, recognizing that Ralph meant use the suit, cleared his throat. "Gotcha kid. Out."

Ralph put the communicator in his pocket and smiled. He knew that within a few minutes, he'd be able to help out Pam and Bill... this time with the suit's help.


	8. Chapter 8

Rhonda and the class arrived at the check-in station, to see Mr. Knight talking with a firefighter lieutenant. The rest of the school had been cleared out earlier, save Ralph's class, Pam and Bill.

Knight turned and, seeing them, smiled softly in relief. "So, Mr. Hinkley's class finally showed up," he said. "Now, where's he?"

"He's still in the classroom with Cyler and Tony," said Rhonda. "Tony had a bookcase fall on him and he's hurt pretty bad."

"How bad?"

"Well... Mr. H said Tony has a broken leg and maybe his ribs. He was out cold for about an hour. Mr. H and Cyler have been taking care of him all this time."

Before the principal said anything, the lieutenant sprung into action. "All right, I need station 6's paramedics to come here for a rescue," he said to a group of firefighters, then turned back to Rhonda. "Are the other two all right?"

"Well, Mr. H has a cut on his head, but I think he's all right," she said. "They're still there just to help keep Tony from falling asleep."

The lieutenant nodded and, after receiving directions to Ralph's classroom, headed out with a small firefighter squad and paramedics.

Once they arrived at the classroom, the firefighters found all three men inside. "Over here," Ralph half-shouted as he heard the movement. The firefighters entered through the window with a stokes, an air tank and other medical equipment.

"Are you Mr. Hinkley," asked one of the firefighters walking toward the trio.

"Yes sir, and these two are Cyler and Tony."

The paramedics went to work quickly on Tony, asking him questions as they assessed his injuries.

As the paramedics patched up Tony and relayed his treatment to a local hospital, the others helped Ralph and Cyler out of the building. One of the firefighters took a look at Ralph. "Are you all right, Mr. Hinkley," the man asked.

Ralph looked at him blankly for a moment, then realized he was referring to his head wound. "Yes, I believe so. It's just a scratch."

"Uh huh. It's a little more than that, has a bruise as well. Did you lose consciousness after receiving that injury?"

"No, in fact I feel fine," said Ralph as the firefighter bandaged it, but inside frowned. He still wondered why he felt great despite the injury, even after all this time.

"Well, still we ought to take you to the hospital as well..."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine. It must've been a glancing blow," said Ralph. "Listen, have you heard anything about a Pam Davidson or Bill Maxwell being rescued? They were also here during the earthquake."

The firefighter shook his head. "No, no one's out there by those names," he said as he reached for his handi-talkie "Home base, this is HT 6. We're in the classroom treating one patient. We have reports from one of the patient's friends that there are two others who might be trapped in the school."

Understood. We'll send out search parties for their location, squawked the voice on the HT. The firefighter looked back at Ralph, who glanced back inside the building to see how Tony was doing, and was surprised. Judging by his slight pallor, the man thought that Ralph would go out on him any moment, but he was still going strong. "Are you sure you're well," asked the firefighter. "You look a little pale."

"Yes, I'm fine. It's Tony here who needs the help," said Ralph as he watched the paramedics and third firefighter lift Tony and put him in a stokes to carry him out. "I've never seen one of my students hurt, and I'm not too fond of needles myself, so seeing them put the IV in Tony just now..."

The firefighter chuckled softly, realizing that Ralph could be telling the truth. Even all these years in the department, he still was little unnerved by IVs too. "All right, he's doing well," said one of the paramedics. "We're going to take him to Mercy General. Now, let's get out of here."

Ralph nodded, and the paramedics picked up the stokes and exited through the classroom window. The firefighters and paramedics rushed toward the ambulance with Tony while Cyler and Ralph walked quickly behind.

They had almost reached the home base when they felt the ground move. Ralph and Cyler hit the ground as they heard a groaning sound shortly before a rumble. Once the aftershock subsided, the two men looked up and found that part of the school's roof collapsed... the part where Ralph's classroom was.

"Damn..." said Cyler bluntly. "Another minute..."

"Took the words right out of my mouth Cyler," said Ralph, worried. If Pam and Bill were in that part too...

"Cyler, head over to Knight and say you're out of the building. I'll join you in a few minutes," said Ralph took out the communicator. "Bill, come in do you read me... Bill..."


	9. Chapter 9

Bill and Pam were still in the classroom when they felt the aftershock. Bill shielded Pam with his body as debris fell around them.

Once the shaking stopped, he sat back up. "Counselor, you all right?"

"Yeah, just now I'm hearing more bells," said Pam. "Quakes and headaches are a bad mix."

Bill chuckled softly. "Yeah, I bet. How are the ribs?"

"Still sore, but not worse."

"That's good Counselor just..."

"Stay awake," they both finished, and chuckled. Pam continued. "Wonder what's taking the fire department so long to..."

"I don't know Counselor, but it's going to take a little longer," said Bill as he looked at the hallway. "The aftershock just added some debris in the hallway and outside."

"Great..." said Pam as a voice squeaked on the communicator.

"Bill do you read me?" asked Ralph. "Bill..."

Bill rummaged around on the ground and picked up the communicator. "Yeah kid I read ya. What's going on?"

"The firefighters arrived at my classroom and got Tony out. He's on his way to the hospital..."

"That's great Ralph."

"Yes. Are you two all right? I mean, with that aftershock and what happened to my classroom..."

Bill frowned. "Yeah, I have an idea, we heard it fall and I saw the results from the window."

"So, you weren't in the same part of the building," said Ralph. "Good. How bad is the damage in your part of the school?"

"Well, all I know is the hallway where I am has gotta buncha debris in it, and the outside's pretty inaccessible as far as gettin' the Counselor out... unless you're real careful."

Ralph paused for a moment. "All right. Listen, I'm going to sneak away and get to my stationwagon. I've got a couple of things of Pam's in there I can get a holograph off of. I'll try to get to you as soon as I can. If you have anything you can use to make noise so the firefighters can hear you as well..."

"Gotcha kid. We'll be waiting..."

"And yelling," finished Pam, groaning slightly in pain afterward when her ribs protested.

Ralph chuckled at Pam's attempt at humor and pocketed the communicator. He went over to his stationwagon and found a coat Pam had left in it. Ralph loosened the collar of his shirt to reveal part of the suit and got an image. He frowned when he saw Pam lying on the ground and Bill tending to her. He smiled wryly when it appeared the two were arguing again.

The blond-haired man realized he needed to see the room itself, and found art supplies. "OK, they're in Bruce Corundum's class," he said softly as he decided to go back into the building and head toward the classroom.

As he started to walk down the way, a firefighter nearly bumped into him. "Sorry," said Ralph in apology.

"Sir, you need to leave the building," said the firefighter.

"I know, but I could've sworn I heard someone yelling down this hallway," said Ralph, hoping he'd get the guy to listen to him.

"All right, my men will go this way, but please get out of the building," said the firefighter.

Ralph nodded and the firefighter turned away, but Ralph grabbed his communicator and spoke. "Bill, listen I need to talk to you..."

"Yeah, I read ya. What's going on?"

"Listen, I need you and Pam to start yelling now. I'm near where you guys are, but the firefighters turned me away, I need to have a reason to get to you," said Ralph.

"Got ya kid," said Bill.

Ralph started to walk toward the exit when he heard a yell... Pam's voice. When he realized that it wasn't just one to attract attention, that she was truly in pain, Ralph dashed toward the lockers and started tossing them away from the ground with ease, courtesy of the jammies. The firefighters stood there, stunned. "How did you do that," said the captain. "You do need to be careful too you know..."

"Well... adrenaline does wonders doesn't it?" said Ralph innocently. "And, the lockers had debris under them, making it easier to move them. Besides, I made sure that the lockers I moved were only the ones lying on the ground. Now come on, it sounds like someone's hurt."

The firefighters agreed and started yelling. "Is there someone there?" shouted the men and were rewarded with a response. "Over here... I've got an injured woman here," shouted Bill peeking his head out of the doorway of Conundrum's class.

The firefighter picked up his walkie-talkie and spoke. "Home base, this is HT 14. I'm in the left part of the school in the hallway. We might have found two missing people. Send us some more help and paramedics."

_10-4, I read you. I'm going to send firefighters from 6's team and the paramedics from 15's to help out. Give us an update if you hear anyone else yell for help._

"10-4," said the firefighter. He decided to stay so the others could help with the search. He turned to Ralph and gave a puzzled look. "You were right, but how?" he asked.

"Well, I did say I heard yells for help, then we got the one we all heard," said Ralph.

With great care, Ralph and the others moved the remaining lockers and debris out of the way and finally reached the classroom. "Pam, Bill?" he said quickly, but as though he was surprised they were there.

Bill smiled. "Yeah kid, it's us" he said as the others entered the room.

One firefighter kneeled next to Pam and checked her pulse and breathing. "The paramedics will be here shortly," he said.

Ralph knelt next to Pam and smiled. "How are you feeling hun?" asked Ralph softly.

"Tired, but don't worry, I'm not going to fall asleep."

Bill scoffed. "Yeah, sirs, she has possible fractured ribs and a concussion. Last thing I need is to look like a bandit with two black eyes courtesy of the Counselor's dreams," he said. When the firefighter looked at him and frowned, Bill continued. "I had to keep her fighting to stay awake, and she did... unfortunately a bit literally."

As he watched the firefighter check Pam's ribs, Ralph frowned when she winced. "Are you all right Pam?"

"Well, I won't be able to hula-hoop for a while," said Pam wryly, and Ralph laughed. Pam noticed Ralph's bandage and frowned. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing, just a scratch," said Ralph as he heard the paramedics coming. "You're the one that really needs to go to the hospital."

"Well Counselor, you ready to get patched up?"

Pam nodded as the paramedics started an IV on her. "Yeah. Let's get out of here creep," she said with a smile.

"OK, Counselor, I'm a creep, but just tonight huh?" said Bill, and he, Ralph... and even the paramedics, chuckled.


	10. Chapter 10

The group arrived back at the front of the school when Ralph realized he needed to talk to Knight and the students to let them know he was all right.

He then went back over to where Knight and his students were. "Mr. Hinkley, took you long enough to make your appearance," started Knight, only to frown when he took a closer look at Ralph. "Are you all right, Mr. Hinkley? I heard that your wife and friend were also in the school, and you look..."

"I'm all right Mr. Knight," said Ralph. "But we found Bill and Pam. The paramedics are..."

The conversation stopped when the firefighters and two paramedics were carrying the stokes that Pam was in. Bill was close to Pam's side, just to keep an eye on her as well. "Ralph," said Bill, knowing that he'd have to pretend the two didn't talk much prior and during the rescue as to keep the suit a secret from Knight. "You really need to quit running off."

"Sorry Bill. How are you feeling Pam?"

"Fine hun, but don't run off again huh? We could've lost each other today..."

"I know," said Ralph, grabbing the hand without an IV in it.

The paramedic who wasn't helping carry the stokes apprised Ralph on the situation. "We're going to take her to Mercy General for treatment," said the paramedic.

"We'll follow you in our car," said Ralph, realizing he'd be in the way of the paramedics if he rode in with them.

The paramedics nodded and headed toward an ambulance, where the firefighters had transferred Pam to a gurney. Before they loaded Pam in the ambulance, Ralph saw Rhonda run up to the gurney. "Miss Davidson can..." she started.

"Don't worry Rhonda. If they know, I'll see how Tony's doing too," said Pam. "I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Rhonda nodded and backed away so Pam could get into the ambulance. Ralph could close the door of the ambulance, and as it sped off to the hospital, Ralph finally realized that this was the start of life returning to normal.

Once the ambulance was safely on its way, Ralph nodded to Bill and the two walked over to the wagon. The younger man got in the back seat and started changing out of the suit, only to shake his head and blink a couple of times. "Kid, you sure you're all right?" asked Bill, frowning in concern.

"Yeah, feel fine," said Ralph taking off the tights and putting his pants back on.

"I'm going to drive, to be on the safe side," said Bill. "Ya'd think that after all this, you'd be exhausted."

Ralph got out of the car, taking off the tunic of the suit and replacing it with his normal shirt top. "I don't know, but it has been odd. During the quake, I got hit by a piece of debris and was dazed. A little while later, though, I felt fine."

"Felt fine?" said Bill, frowning more. 'It doesn't make sense,' he thought.

"Yeah, and with everything that happened along with it, the punch to the jaw, the quake, the long day, seems a bit odd..."

Hearing the list of the day's events, Bill's frown deepened as he walked over to Ralph, noticing a change in the younger man's complexion. He started to put things together, and the conclusion he came up with however, wasn't good. "Kid, sit down..."

"Huh?"

"Sit down NOW..." ordered Bill, nearing Ralph.

"Bill I..." started Ralph, only to feel the tell-tale sings of pre-passing out, increasing rapidly. "Sh..." Ralph fell toward the ground but felt strong arms catch him just as he lost consciousness...

"Ralph!" Bill said as he lowered the man the rest of the way.

A couple of paramedics saw Ralph's collapse and rushed over. "What happened," said one of the men.

"I'm hoping he just passed out, but you guys would know better," said Bill, as one of the medics lifted one of Ralph's eyelids. "I think it was the stress of everything and seeing his girlfriend be injured..."

"My guess is it's also from that head injury of his. He might have a concussion among other things. We'll need to talk to the hospital, but it looks like he'll be a patient too."

Bill could only nod as the paramedics did a brief examination. After Ralph was given an IV and placed on a gurney for his trip to the hospital, Bill turned to the medics. "Listen, can I ride with you guys? I can order ya to because I'm a federal agent, but I thought given everything that's happened..."

"I understand, you can ride with us," said the paramedic. Bill jumped in, and the group sped off toward the hospital. Bill sat silently as the medics worked at trying to bring Ralph around, calling out vitals over a phone connected to the hospital. Bill prayed that Ralph and Pam would be all right, as he didn't want to have them take a trip to Palmdale to visit the greenguys... forever.


	11. Chapter 11

Some time later, Ralph slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a hospital bed. Glancing down, he realized he was in a hospital gown and had an IV in his left arm. His head started to throb slightly and he was a bit thirsty.

Hearing a rustling sound, Ralph glanced to his right and found Pam lying in the other hospital bed looking back at him. Bill was in a chair nearby, and had been visiting with Pam. He was also sporting what was the beginning of a lovely shiner on his eye.

"Hi hun, how are you feeling?" said Pam, smiling.

"Uh, better," said Ralph, slightly confused. "How long have I been out? Had to be long enough for them to decide to bring me to the hospital and admit me. About an hour or two?"

"Try about 9 hours," said Bill handing Ralph a glass of water.

Ralph frowned in confusion. "_Nine_ hours?"

Pam decided to continue. "Well, in and out, but mostly out hun. The doctors told us that you have a mild concussion and some dehydration, not to mention the punch to the jaw and being exhausted. Said you must've had a delayed reaction to your injuries. You're going to be here a day or so too."

Ralph shook his head as he put the information together. "Huh. Talk about a delayed reaction, had to have been four hours from the quake to you and Bill being rescued," said Ralph softly. "That was one long span of an adrenaline rush though to have kept me conscious that long if my collapse was caused by my head injury."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to catch yourself after it left and ya passed out," grumbled Bill. "Remind me to never call ya dead weight again on cases. You're heavier than ya look."

Ralph rolled his eyes. "OK, it's a deal. Good thing it wasn't literally. I was afraid that'd happen when Tony stopped breathing and I had to resuscitate him..." Ralph paused, realizing how long he had been out cold. "How is Tony?"

"Got word from the doctors. Villacana made it through surgery fine and is in recovery," said Bill.

Ralph shook his head. "Surgery? I thought Tony had a broken leg and concussion, not to mention possible fractured ribs..."

Pam continued. "Yes, Ralph, but that wasn't just it. He did have a fractured rib, but had some minor internal bleeding caused when it broke and poked a lung. It was caused when the stretcher fell during the aftershock, but the doctors were able to fix it. They set his leg shortly afterward. He's going to be in the hospital for a while too, but should make a full recovery."

"That's good. I mean, when I was giving him artificial respiration, I wasn't sure if..."

Bill noticed Ralph's voice trailed off, realizing the situation. "Yeah, I hear ya. Felt the same way when the Counselor passed out and had her nightmare. The black eye was a small price to pay to bring her around."

"Yeah, and you'll be careful around me next time you annoy me," said Pam with a slight smirk. "I still can't believe I did that to you."

"I'm all right. The doctor said that it was going to be sore for a few days, but that was it. You are going to owe me dinner big time though," said Bill chuckling.

Ralph noticed the attempt at humor and chuckled. "Yeah, we'll have fun with the creep when we take him to dinner," he said, only to laugh when he saw Bill roll his eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door. When it opened, Ralph was surprised to see Rhonda and Cyler enter the room. "Come in Rhonda, Cyler before you're caught," he said, motioning for them to close the door. "How did you manage to get up here to visit?"

"Well, it's like this Mr. H," said Cyler. "We're basically the only family Tony has that cares about him, and the doctors know that. We were visiting Tony in his room when we heard that you were admitted too. Since you're basically like a father to us, we were allowed to come up and visit to see how you were doing."

"Yeah, when we heard that you passed out at the school and saw you being loaded into an ambulance, we were worried for both you and Miss Davidson," said Rhonda as she handed the Ralph and Pam each a small stuffed duck.

"We're fine Rhonda," said Pam as she accepted her duck. "Just acting a little 'quackers' from everything."

"Yes Rhonda, we're both well. What happened to me was that I had a head injury, but when I saw Tony was seriously hurt, the adrenaline kicked in and I just kept going," said Ralph, knowing he couldn't mention the suit. "Once Pam and Tony were rescued and safe at the hospital, that adrenaline must've stopped flowing and I passed out. Now, enough about what happened to us, how's Tony?"

"Tony's doing all right," said Cyler. "We couldn't stay too long as he was still tired from the operation and the meds they're giving him, but he said to tell you that he sends you his well wishes and that the ducks are also from him to get well soon."

Ralph chuckled. "Well, we hope he's doing well too, and once they let us move around the hospital, we'll stop in and say hello," he said. "Now, I think you two better head on out of here and go home so Pam and I can rest."

Rhonda and Cyler said goodbye and left. Ralph and Pam looked at each other and smiled, realizing that the two students were worried about everyone that was hurt. "I bet they snuck in," said Ralph simply. "Five bucks says they get caught and told off for being in the room."

"Nah, it's even money," said Pam. "It's been pretty busy here tonight as it is, so they probably weren't seen."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're probably both right. Now, I'm going to call it a night as well. Try to behave and get some sleep?"

Ralph and Pam looked at each other and chuckled mischievously, causing Bill to roll his eyes. "Don't worry Bill, we'll behave," said Pam.

"Don't worry Uncle Bill, we'll behave like a couple of good little boys and girls," said Ralph with a grin.

"Kids... I really have a couple of them, thanks to the green guys," said Bill, shaking his head as he left.

Ralph and Pam chuckled, realizing that for as much bluster as Bill likes to show, he was glad to see the two doing well. As both were awake and feeling all right, they started talking about what they experienced during and after the earthquake. After a while, both fell asleep, glad to know they were finally together again.


	12. Chapter 12

It was about a month later before Whitney High was ready to reopen its doors to its students. The part of the building Ralph's classroom had been was bulldozed and was in the midst of reconstruction with even stronger materials. During the interim, Ralph would have to teach his class in the music room.

Ralph was walking down the hallway to the classroom, Knight walked up to meet him. "Mr. Hinkley, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"All right, what did the class do this time," said Ralph, still trying to figure out how Paco and Chaffee managed to put a teacher's desk and four student's desks in the oak near the school without cutting any limbs.

Knight coughed slightly, realizing Ralph was again jumping to conclusions. "Nothing, for once. I wanted to speak with you Mr. Hinkley. I haven't had time to tell you this, but I wanted to say that you did a good job keeping Mr. Villacana with us," he said.

"It was nothing, and I'm glad that my taking CPR saved someone's life. I heard that the board is going to require it and first aid for all teachers getting their certification."

"Well, saving one life was enough to make them realize how important it truly was," said Knight, pausing a moment. "What surprised me more was how you were able to stand on your feet as long as you did that night. If you hadn't, we could've lost a student. When I saw that friend of yours catch you after you collapsed, I also thought we could lose a teacher instead."

"Yeah I have to admit, I was surprised when I came to in the hospital and found out I had been in and out for nine hours. ... I will never say this to Tony, but I was very scared that he was going to die, just like Pam was scared a few years ago when it was me. I was charged during a basketball game, and they wondered if I'd suffer seizures or other long-term effects," said Ralph, coughing slightly at the memory. "When I was tending to Tony while he was still out, I started replaying what I remembered about that day and afterward. But, given Tony's broken leg and then when he went into arrest, I wondered what else could happen."

Knight paused, realizing that Ralph really had been through a lot that day. "Have you had a chance to talk to Mr. Villacana since he was released from the hosptial?"

"I called him the other day at his home. He said he was still sore, but surprisingly ready to go to school tomorrow. Said he wanted to argue with Cyler while he could make the jabs and know he couldn't get hit," said Ralph wryly. Before the principal said anything, Ralph chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye out on both just to be safe and I've got my air horn to stop them if they do start getting rough. Seems to work better than anything else I've tried."

Knight shook his head. "Just please don't end up lying on the floor out for the count again," he tried to say sternly, but the chuckle belied it. The younger man chuckled in reply and both went on their separate ways.

Ralph walked up to the door, only to hear the sound of what sounded like swordfighting. Groaning, he reached inside his briefcase for his air horn.

Opening the door, instead of seeing the group fighting with the drumsticks saw one of his students counting down a beat for a song and the rest trying to figure out what parts they were supposed to sing. The drummer and the class paused when they saw Ralph enter the room. "Don't mind me," said Ralph. "If you want to sing, that'll be something constructive for a change."

The class chuckled. "Well, we wanted to practice what we had so far for Tony's welcome back party," said Cyler. "He's coming back tomorrow, and we wanted to surprise him."

Ralph shook his head. "You know, that's a great idea. Just be sure it doesn't turn into a fight. Because he's still tires easily and is still on crutches, I will make sure you get suspended if you do." he said, hoping they'd take him seriously.

Cyler nodded his acknowledgement as Rhonda came forward and shrugged. "So, Mr. H, how long do we have to stay in this room? I mean, it's pretty big and it echoes," she said

"Probably the rest of the school year. Construction's got to rebuild our classroom, but we're not the only ones as well. We could've ended up in the cafeteria, and since it's close to lunchtime and most of you have second lunch..."

"Yeah, I hear you, it'd be worse," said Rhonda, chuckling. "So..."

"Ralph," interrupted Bill as he entered the music room, causing the class to groan.

Ralph shook his head. "Bill, what do you need? We're about to start class..."

"Well, I was wondering if Villacana was here. I have something for him."

"No, not until tomorrow, and I'm not going to let you give him an application for selective service again. He doesn't have to register for that yet."

Bill frowned. "No kid, I ain't gonna do that. It's a duck and a turkey."

"A _duck and turkey_? You sure Pam and I were the ones hospitalized?"

"Yeah kid, I'm giving him a duck and a turkey," said Bill as he showed him the stuffed animals. "It's to remind him to next time... 'duck turkey'."

Ralph and the class paused for a moment before they roared in laughter, realizing what the comment meant.

"All right. Come on class, let's get settled. After you rehearse your song, we're going to study English. We'll study a half an hour, then we'll switch over to planning Tony's party. The one thing we're going to make sure of is to include Bill's duck and turkey in the theme, since he needs to follow it too."

Bill rolled his eyes, and Ralph and the class laughed. They realized that despite the earthquake, things were going to get better.


End file.
